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Impress the audience

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Phrases — Getting your #1 point across

19Feb

February 19, 2016 by PotentSpeaking Leave a Comment

Credit for the idea of this phrase goes to Samuel Sefzik. It’s easy for your audience to get overwhelmed in a debate speech. There are a lot of points and plenty of logic floating around in any given debate round. Getting your audience to remember and care about all of your points is usually impossible (unless […]

Stop at the nod

10Mar

March 10, 2015 by PotentSpeaking Leave a Comment

Do you want to know how to get more words in your speech while still winning each argument? Stop at the nod. All you have to do is wait for the judge to agree with your point, then move forward. Don’t beat the dead horse! Benefits: Saves time Avoids exasperating the judge Allows you to […]

“You may be thinking…”

06Jan

January 6, 2015 by PotentSpeaking Leave a Comment

Here’s a cool phrase you can use in order to address any concerns that the judge has. I often used this phrase when I already knew what the judge’s objection would likely be. For example, “The result of all this is nuclear war. Now I know what you might be thinking—is that really likely? Surprisingly, […]

Reaching your speaking goals

01Jan

January 1, 2015 by PotentSpeaking Leave a Comment

I’ve spent a lot of time talking about various speaking tips, and there’s plenty more where that came from. But I think it’s time to take a step back and consider how to apply this information. If I had to guess, I’d say 15% of people who read this website actively try to apply the […]

Keep the judge curious

18Nov

November 18, 2014 by PotentSpeaking Leave a Comment

They say curiosity killed the cat. Thankfully, your judge isn’t a cat. So curiosity won’t kill them. Isn’t that nice? If you’re able to keep your judge curious about what you’re going to say next, you will keep them engaged. Everyone knows an engaging speaker is a good one. That’s why so many professional speakers […]

Emphasis by positioning

14Nov

November 14, 2014 by PotentSpeaking Leave a Comment

When you need to make a point stand out in a judge’s mind, it’s time to pull out all stops and give them the best you have. One technique I seldom see used is positioning in order to emphasize key points. How it’s done Before I begin, this is not to be overused. Someone who […]

Repetition vs. refutation

11Nov

November 11, 2014 by PotentSpeaking Leave a Comment

  If you’ve debated long enough, you’ve probably heard the catchphrase “repetition is not refutation!” thrown around casually by debaters. It seems to be their go-to response to arguments they don’t know what to do with. Even though the phrase is often misused, it is even more frequently and unfortunately true—too many people get in […]

Compliment your opponent

30Oct

October 30, 2014 by PotentSpeaking 2 Comments

One of the easiest ways to disarm your opponent and get the judge on your side is to compliment the other team. How and why Depending on what you choose to compliment, you can get several benefits. 1. The judge will probably like you This is pretty obvious, but judges like nice people. Not fake […]

The judge philosophy

24Oct

October 24, 2014 by PotentSpeaking 2 Comments

  I always cringe when I hear it. The sound of a debater trying to ask the “judging philosophy” question. It seems that almost every debater I’ve come across has managed to make the question confusing and robotic. So, let’s talk about how to ask for and use the judging philosophy. What not to do […]

Crack a lame joke

10Oct

October 10, 2014 by PotentSpeaking 4 Comments

  It is common advice in the speaking realm to crack a joke to start off your speech. While this can be true to a certain extent, it has grown to a point where it sounds like a template. But I do advise you to crack jokes in your speeches. In fact, if you look […]

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